Lyman Spitzer: Making Space For Hubble

Seventy-five years ago, astronomer Lyman Spitzer envisioned a future for space exploration that deepened humanity’s curiosity about the cosmos. A visionary behind the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer was among the earliest astronomers pioneering a revolutionary way to explore the universe through astronomical satellites.

His vision came over a decade before the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the establishment of NASA itself. While the fundamental concept of sending a large telescope into space wasn’t new, the reality of doing so was.Seventy-five years ago, astronomer Lyman Spitzer envisioned a future for space exploration that deepened humanity’s curiosity about the cosmos.

A visionary behind the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer was among the earliest astronomers pioneering a revolutionary way to explore the universe through astronomical satellites. His vision came over a decade before the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the establishment of NASA itself. While the fundamental concept of sending a large telescope into space wasn’t new, the reality of doing so was.

For more information, visit https://nasa.gov/hubble.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Paul Morris: Lead Producer
Anisha Engineer: Lead Writer
Grace Weikert: Narration


Image Credits of Dr. Spitzer:
The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Don Morton
Denise Applewhite


Music Credits:
"Lead Train" by Sebastian Barnaby Robertson [BMI] and Tristan Calder [ASCAP] via Killer Tracks [BMI], Soundcast Music [SESAC], and Universal Production Music.